So, the enrollment for the ACA this year was very good, at about 14.5 million, which is much higher than ever before.
This is due to the expanded subsidies that were passed by the Democrats in last year’s ARP bill. I hope they pass subsequent legislation that will make the expanded subsidies permanent, as it’s a much better deal and will continue to grow ACA enrollment, IMO.
This has resulted in a fairly large drop in the uninsured rate (about 1.5% lower than 2020). Good job, Dems in Congress and Biden. There’s still work to do in this category, as well as other healthcare reforms that are needed. But at least we reversed the recent upward trends in uninsured rate.
That article is clearly trying to avoid pointing to the obvious cause, but the numbers paint a pretty clear picture.
This nearly reaches the lowest recorded levels of uninsurance experienced in 2016 and early 2017, when the uninsurance rate was 8.6 percent according to the American Community Survey as cited by the US Census Bureau.
The trend across each quarter was also unusual historically. In 2018, 2019, and 2020, the uninsurance rate rose over the course of the year, quarter by quarter. But in 2021, the uninsurance rate began to drop in the second quarter.
Hmmm… what could have possibly happened in 2017 that caused a trend of steadily decreasing rates of uninsured to reverse itself with increasing rates year after year and then sharply go back towards the way it was in 2021. What special thing is it that distinguishes the years 2017-2020 from those on either side? I guess we’ll never know.
I’ve used the healthcare exchange from the first year. Now My two young adults both work retail jobs w/o benefits. Different states. In good health not needing more than annual physicals immunizations and catastrophic Emergency protection. Both qualified for a tax credit that they used on a bronze plan that reduced their monthly insurance premium to $0-1.
It’s a life changer a game changer. Don’t need your employer to subsidize health care that you lose if you switch jobs.